Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Are you a dog lover? Are you a sucker for stories that involve feel-good moments? Well then, Marley and Me is for you!!

If you have ever owned a dog, or any pet for that matter, or you are just an animal person, you need to read this book! It made me laugh, cry and laugh and cry some more!

Marley and Me is the story of a neurotic Labrador dog, who causes mayhem and destruction wherever he goes! I don't feel the need to explain the story, but if you are interested, read the blurb ------->>>>

Marley and Me is a true story about the relationship between John Grogan (yes, the author!) and his Labrador, Marley. The way that John Grogan writes makes you feel as if you are there with him, experiencing every moment of Marley's madness! Man's best friend really can be a dog!

I loved the fact that this book was so easy to read, simple and wonderful. This is definitely a family-orientated book, with different versions of the book available, including a picture book!

Beware: you will cry!!! You will laugh! You will shake your head at Marley's antics! There is no other dog like Marley...

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Is anyone else a bit scared of wearing blue nailpolish? I know I was! I only bought my first ever blue nailpolish in 2009! (For whoever is wondering, it was OPI Absolutely Alice - prettiest blue glitter!). However, I think I only wore it a couple of times because it was full-on blue! And let's face it, there are some colours out there, that might be a bit daunting to paint your nails with, because they are not your 'typical/ nailpolish colour!! I'm thinking of blues, greens, yellows and even some purples!

I'm here to show you a really elegant, but simple look to show you how to wear two different blue nailpolishes together! So get your blues out of storage and watch this tutorial to find out what you need to achieve this look!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

What I wanted to know: are homebrand beauty products cheap and nasty, or cheap and awesome!?

To find out, I set out to compare and use similar products, but that catch was: one of the products was homebrand and the other product was from well-known brand. Over the years, I always used products that were well-known brands, because I thought that homebrand was just a cheap knock-off of the brand products! I thought that:

Homebrand = cheap price = low quality = bad product!!

Also, when I lived with my parents, I didn't really think of the price (naughty I know!), but I just picked up the product that I always used. In saying that, I was aware that it was my parents who paid the grocery bill, so every so often, I would try homebrand products...Back then, the homebrand beauty products were not up to scratch.

Homebrand products a couple of years ago...Make-up removal pads

The make-up removal pads fell apart as they didn't have sealed edges (so instead of having one pad, you had two!)

When the pad fell apart, the fibres went everywhere!

They weren't the softest thing around...

If you had dry skin, the fibres would cling to your skin!

Trying to use a pad to remove nail polish was useless, because after one nail, the pad became flimsy and useless!

Cotton tips

The cotton tips were inconsistent in size (some were tight, while the other end was fluffy!)

As soon as I place it in nail polish remover, the tip swelled to double the size, which meant I couldn't clean around my nails as well,

The quality was shocking...I remember the tip fell off a few times! (for no apparent reason! I didn't pull it off either!)

Nail polish remover

The nail polish remover wasn't moisturising and it made my skin feel drier after several uses

It didn't clean my nails properly!

It would take several make-up removal pads and lots of nail polish remover to take off my polish!

Needless to say, I went back to buying brand products, which was normally Swisspers or Cutex. I found that these brands had great products, that never did any of the above...however, the price tag was higher! It was only once I moved out of my parents place, a couple of years later, that I began to think about what I really used the products for! I mean, it's not like I was using these beauty products to eat off...and after one use, they went in the bin! Therefore, I decided to give homebrand another try...

Most of the time, I shop at Woolworths (a supermarket here in Australia), and everytime I reach the beauty aisle, I smile! That day, I made my way to the nail section and picked up the Woolworths Select nail polish remover, and from memory, there are three types to choose from: moisturising, nourishing and acetone-free (don't quote me on that though!). I decided to buy the moisturising type! I then went to the make-up removal pads and cotton tips, and picked up the Woolworths Homebrand of each.

Homebrand products now...

Make-up removal pads

The make-up removal pads now have sealed edges, which prevent them from falling apart

No messy fibres!

Doesn't cling to any dry skin!

When using with nail polish remover, I only need two pads!

Also, they are soft and very easy to use!

Cotton tips

The cotton tips are consistent in size, small and tight!

No fluffiness (if you like fluffy cotton tips, these aren't for you!)

When putting it in nail polish remover, the tip stays the same size, so it is really easy to clean around and under the nail!

Best of all, the tip doesn't fall off!

Nail polish remover

Given that I chose the moisturising nail polish remover, it actually moisturises my skin as well! It doesn't make my skin dry :) It has almond oil and shea butter in the ingredients!

It cleans my nails well and I only have to use a couple of make-up removal pads to take off my polish! (Unless I'm wearing glitter polish!!)

Needless to say, I now re-purchase these homebrand products constantly! I don't even look at the brand products anymore! Another plus of these homebrand products is the price! These are at least a few dollars cheaper, and are usually less than half the price of the brand products!

My verdict:

Homebrand = cheap price = great quality = awesome product!!

I hope this helps anyone who is a bit iffy about the quality of homebrand products! I'd love to hear what your thoughts of homebrand products are and any experiences you have!

Monday, November 22, 2010

If you haven't heard of Piggy Polish before, it's a small boutique brand of polish. All of the polishes are marketed for your very own little piggies (the tagline is: 'Goes on toes!), however, I believe that these polishes look amazing on toenails AND fingernails!

Coral Reef is a soft, but bright coral colour, and is a creme formula! When I saw this bottle, my first thought was 'WOW!"...The colour was gorgeous in the bottle, and it proved to be even more so on my nails!

Coral Reef has a MEGA shine factor (and it doesn't fade either) and it is super durable...The formula is fantastic, and although the polish is quite sheer, after two coats (possibly three?) you have the desired look :) Even if you need three coats, the formula is thin and smooth, so your polish doesn't look chunky, but smooth and shiny!

Lastly, not only is the colour gorgeous, the formula smooth and the end result shiny, but the drying time was fairly quick. Plus, Piggy Polish has the cutest bottle which comes with your very own toe ring!

As you can probably tell, this is my first entry :) I thought creating a blog would be a great way to share photos of things I love with you all (lots of nail polish swatches!), as well as fill you in with what I'm up to! Apart from that, I'm not 100% sure what I'll be writing about, but feel free to keep coming back and checking!! I never thought I'd create a blog, but here I am...Hopefully, you guys will keep coming back to make me feel loved! Lol.

Let me start with a little about me (you may or may not know!!)...

I'm obsessed with nail polish and reading!

I secretly enjoy swatching my polishes! (Anyone else??!)

I'm pedantic with my books (and my bookcase!)

My favourite flowers are gardenias :)

I make Youtube videos :)

I love meeting new people from around the world!

I prefer to watch TV shows on DVD - less ads lol!

Umm, there's lots more of course, but I don't want to bombard you with a full list straight off the bat!

If there's anything in particular that you'd like me to write about, let me know! I know there's some 'tags' that go around the blog world, so if you know of any, send them my way! I think they are so interesting!!

About me!

Hey everyone!
My name's Karlee and I make Youtube videos! I love anything to do with nails, reading and makeup :) I love meeting people that share these interests from all around the world!
On my blog you'll find things I love, as well as random entries!
I'd love to hear from you!!